UH website makes groundwater research public

The Hawaii Institute for Geophysics and Planetology has developed a website to make data on groundwater and geothermal resources accessible to the public.

The objective for the website is to bring together UH research with data on groundwater and geothermal resources that is collected by the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) and Department of Health (DOH), University of Hawaii at Mnoa Geochemist Donald Thomas said.

According to Thomas, groundwater data goes back 100 years or more and is not very accessible to the public. The website formats the past and current data that is more easily accessible for people who want to learn more about geothermal resources.

Ultimately what we would really like is to have a system were people can go in and understand more about the groundwater system, Thomas said.

He added the first phase of the Hawaii Groundwater and Geothermal Resource Center (HGGRC) website is to analyze the data to see how sources of groundwater have changed over time due to climate change or urban development and how they should be managed in the future.

Both the data and information on the website have been generated by Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology scientists since 2010.

The HGGRC website provides searchable map displays that show what is to come for groundwater and geothermal energy data.

Humuula GroundwaterResearch Project

One project connected to the website, the Humuula Groundwater Research Project, focuses on researching the groundwater resources on Hawaii Island.

The projects researchers will drill two holes on the grounds of the Phakuloa Training Area (PTA), in the center of the island, to depths of 6000 to 6500 feet from the surface. The goal is to reach the point where the fresh groundwater and the oceans salt water meet and take rock core samples for future scientific study.

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UH website makes groundwater research public

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